Obviously the solution to determining Selkie’s biological father is Sarnothi Maury Povich.
↓ Transcript
Todd: Through circumstances I won’t bore you with the details of, I thought that kid didn’t “make it”. I found out that was wrong just last November.
Todd: We’ve been working on building a relationship with each other, but I still can’t help thinking about all the time we COULD have had together, but didn’t.
Todd: And please let me be clear. I can’t, and WON’T, acknowledge you to Selkie as being her father.
Todd: There’s just simply no way to prove that to be the case. Her father could be someone from after, or even BEFORE, Plo Quar knew you.
Todd: However. I feel like you’re trying, genuinely, to make amends for your past.
Todd: So I will talk to Selkie, and see if she’s willing to interact with you as a “family friend” only. But it’s HER decision. Fair?
Scar: Thank you. Is more than I am deserving.
Todd: We’ve been working on building a relationship with each other, but I still can’t help thinking about all the time we COULD have had together, but didn’t.
Todd: And please let me be clear. I can’t, and WON’T, acknowledge you to Selkie as being her father.
Todd: There’s just simply no way to prove that to be the case. Her father could be someone from after, or even BEFORE, Plo Quar knew you.
Todd: However. I feel like you’re trying, genuinely, to make amends for your past.
Todd: So I will talk to Selkie, and see if she’s willing to interact with you as a “family friend” only. But it’s HER decision. Fair?
Scar: Thank you. Is more than I am deserving.
Paternity tests are probably a thing they could pursue, but I can't see Todd putting Selkie through that based solely on conjecture.
Alternately, of Plo Quar ever shows up she could give an answer, but I think that’s also unlikely.
DNA testing is a thing, Todd…
See super secret commentary for reasoning.
I still haven’t figured out how to see the super secret commentary…
Purple circle under the Transcript box. 🟣
Basically, I agree with this, but I can’t see Todd subjecting Selkie to paternity testing just based on conjecture alone.
Yeah her mom would have to say “it could have been him but I’m not sure” and THEN testing would be the best option for all parties. But as Scar says this opportunity to possibly be a part of her life and watch her grow is more then he deserves with the whole “selling off my lover” thing.
*Technically* if Scar was willing to give a sample Todd could surrepitously collect a DNA sample from Selkie and—I assume legally—get the test done entirely without her knowledge.
Which does not make it the right thing do even if it’s legal; he’s either going to have to keep the result secret—and *eventually* it won’t be one way or another—or tell her after the fact. Either is going to feel like a betrayal to Selkie.
So even if he logistically and legally could do it without telling her, it’s the correct decision not to.
Honestly though, I’d be a little surprised if human biologists are familiar enough with Sarnothi DNA to accurately do a paternity test. It’s taken decades to map and identify portions of human DNA to the point where they even know where in the sequence to look.
I don’t know for sure that they can’t, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they couldn’t. Ultimately, that’d be a narrative decision on Dave’s part in either direction, so I’m just saying that either way he wants to play it is scientifically plausible.
Proving once again that Todd is a genuinely decent person.
Todd is as much Selkie’s true father as is whoever supplied the recombinant DNA to Plo Quar.
Agreed. That was always my argument about the “Batman Beyond” plot twist they set up near the end of the series. No matter WHO’S DNA was coursing through Terry McGinnis, Mr. McGinnis was still his father!
So I am slow, but I just noticed the collar piece Scar wears and suddenly realized it’s a voice box. Plo Quar messed him up so bad he can’t even speak without mechanical help.
And now I can’t unhear Scar saying to Selkie in a Darth Vader voice “I am your father”
uhhhh Genetics would prove it rather nicely
Gotta read that super secret chat box.
What? DNA tests don’t work on them?
“Hey Selkie, this guy that you know who betrayed your mom and was engaged in possible war crimes might be your dad. Are you ready to take a test that we don’t know will work with your species for the slim possibility of finding out so he can claim custodial rights and maybe take you away from me? Why are you crying?”
*Technically* it would be very easy to collect a DNA sample from her and do a test without her even knowing, and as far as I know also within his legal right as a parent to do so. Whether that would be *ethical* to do so without asking here is a wildly different question.
Wouldn’t a DNA test need to account for variation within the specific species? In particular, I believe that we only check only very specific set of genes in a human paternity test (and DNA evidence) that we know has a wide variety between individuals (as most of our genes are identical).
We don’t know which genes are relevant to Sarnothi genetics, and thus wouldn’t be able to create an effective test without a significant amount of study.
I’m sure the DNA tests they use for human paterenity are graetly simplified to keep the price low and would not work at all on Sarnothi.
I’m also certain that DNA is DNA, we know that Sarnothi reproduce sexually, and we’re capable of sequencing the entire genome relatively easily now, so it would be entirely possible to do a paternity test with extra work.
I’m also certain that just about every geneticist in the country would be chomping at the bit to get to be the first human to do one, so even if it were expensive and the government didn’t want to subsidize it, it would be easy to find someone willing to put in the work to figure it out.
So techincally, not a problem at all. The issue is entirely emotional and ethical.
We don’t know of any other species related to them, and no definitive answer about their ancient history, so it’s conceivable that their biology isn’t DNA-based at all — but I doubt that that’s what Dave had in mind.
So, collect some samples from volunteers, and the important test is probably just “Is she pure Jin’Sorai or is she a Sar’Teri hybrid?”
I would be greatly amused if it turns out that they do need government support for this or some other project, and it gets held up in Congress due entirely to partisan bickering — and the end result is that it gets funded by the Canadian government instead.
Sort of sounds like what might happen with the great lakes water management imo.
To me, Todd is the ideal parent, making mistakes of by mistake, not of intent. His defense of the hapless and defenseless is wonderfully fierce and he only warns … never threatens idly. Much like St. George, he is ready to battle any dragon threatening anyone in his ward.
Only, mind you, he is believable. Not a trope, but fully rounded.
I think it would be dangerous to have Mr. Farmer go on Jerry Springer to have a custody battle for Selkie. Even IF those chairs are designed to break, if Scar caught on in a bad spot, it could end him. Selkie, put him in the Friend Zone, immediate!